JORDAN ZUPPE

SCHOOL: Hopewell.

WHO IS SHE? A guard for the girls' basketball team, which defeated Allentown Central Catholic, 57-40, in the PIAA Class AAA championship game Saturday in Hershey.

THE PAST WEEK: Zuppe, a 5-foot-8 junior, scored 10 points in the title game and 13 in the semifinals, a 47-40 victory March 22 against Moon.

SEASON: Alternating between point and shooting guard, Zuppe averaged 11.6 points, 4.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. She converted 36 percent of her 3-point attempts and 79 percent of her free throws.

Zuppe helped direct the Vikings (30-3) to their first outright section title, and first WPIAL and PIAA championships. Hopewell won its past 25 games.

CAREER: Zuppe has been a starter since the season opener of her freshman year and has scored 885 points.

She and classmates Joyce and Becky Novacek, 6-2 twins, have been instrumental in their program's ascent. Hopewell had a 4-58 section record in the five seasons before those three arrived as ninth-graders; the team has gone 68-18 overall and made the playoffs three times since.

A SHOOTER: Though she often controls the Vikings' offense, which is predicated on getting the ball inside to the Novaceks, Zuppe admits, "I like running the point, but I'd rather be a shooting guard."

SUCCESS IS RELATIVE: Basketball is a game the Zuppe family can play, and does.

Chris Raso is Jordan's coach and uncle, her mother's brother. This backcourt star's father, Dean, is an assistant coach with the Hopewell boys' team, and was the Avonworth boys' coach from 1993-2004. He played on a Midland team that was the WPIAL Class A runner-up in 1985.

Being related to two coaches can be good and bad. "Playing for my uncle is difficult sometimes, but when we leave practice, everything's over with," Jordan Zuppe said. "My dad gives me advice. I think I could play for him, too."

OTHER SPORT: Hopewell does not have a girls' golf team, but that hasn't kept Zuppe from playing for the Vikings. She is on the boys' team and averages around 45 per nine-hole round.

FUTURE: Zuppe, who has a 3.7 grade point average, is getting interest from Division II basketball programs and some at the Division I level.

-- By Rick Shrum

SCHOOL: Pine-Richland.

WHO IS HE? Only a freshman, Trombetta was a major contributor in Pine-Richland's run to the Penguins Cup Class AA championship.

LAST WEEK: Trombetta scored three goals in Pine-Richland's 8-3 victory against Kittanning in the title game at Mellon Arena.

SEASON: Trombetta has scored 19 goals for the Rams, who will play for the state championship April 8 at the Island Sports Center on Neville Island. Pine-Richland's opponent will be Haverford High.

"I didn't really have any personal expectations coming into the year," Trombetta said. "I thought I'd play as much as the coach needed me, but I wasn't expecting this much ice time. I wasn't expecting to get as many opportunities as the sophomores, juniors and seniors."

FRESH FACES: Trombetta wasn't the only freshman to come up with a big performance in the title game. Fellow ninth-grader George Saad scored two goals.

OH, BROTHER: Trombetta's older brother, Phil, also is one of Pine-Richland's top players. Dylan started playing hockey years ago just to be like big brother.

"I went to a few of his games, tried it out, liked it, and stuck with it," Dylan said.

ON A ROLL: Dylan Trombetta also plays roller hockey. He said he is the only Pine-Richland ice hockey player who also toils in roller hockey, and Trombetta believes one sport helps the other.

"Roller hockey helps a lot in just keeping you in shape for ice hockey," Trombetta said. "Roller hockey is more tiring. I think it's just the friction with the roller hockey wheels. It's harder to get going faster. So you get more tired out."

Trombetta also plays lacrosse at Pine-Richland.

MAKING THEIR MARK: Pine-Richland has enjoyed some success in other sports. This was the Rams' first taste of big hockey success -- and the sport is apparently catching on at the school.

"Sports like football get a lot of recognition. Even our football stadium gets recognition," Trombetta said. "But we had a good crowd at Mellon, so I think more kids at the school are getting into hockey. More of them are coming to games."

-- By Mike White